These are tense,
dangerous times in Latin America. As the political crisis in Honduras
inches worryingly close to civil war, the region's more sensible
leaders are struggling to keep the peace. Meanwhile, Alvaro Uribe is
handling the situation catastrophically.
The Colombian president is hanging out with the wrong crowd, adding fuel to the burning political fire and showing more signs of his indifference to democracy.
The recent coup in Honduras is Latin America's worst political crisis in recent memory. The country is inching closer to a civil war that would greatly exacerbate existing ideological tensions throughout the region.
Luckily, the Latin American leaders seem to have put aside their political differences and rallied in defense of democracy. Immediately after the coup, almost every government in the Western Hemisphere, including Colombia’s, adamantly condemned the coup in a display of unity that effectively neutralized Hugo Chavez's polarizing rhetoric.
Unfortunately, however, Uribe's public position on the Honduras crisis seems to have been all talk. The president irresponsibly met with members of Roberto Micheletti's government and, according to Honduran sources, expressed sympathy for the golpista regime.
If, as it seems, the Honduran regime is telling the truth about the meeting, Uribe is clearly on the wrong side of the crisis. That is not to say that he should be allying with the undemocratic Manuel Zelaya. On the other hand, he should definitely not express sympathy for the only blatantly undemocratic government in the Western hemisphere. He should instead take the same position as nearly every regional government: strong support for a peaceful, democratic resolution to the crisis.
The President’s meeting endangers such a solution by carelessly involving himself in an already delicate situation. While he was quick to denounce Hugo Chavez for 'interfering' with Colombia’s US base deal, he had no problem interfering in a crisis that, at any moment, could lead to war. So far, regional leaders have avoiding turning the crisis into a regional ideological struggle. Uribe's meeting with the right-wing Micheletti only adds ideological fire to a ticking time bomb.
Finally, the meeting is also further proof of Uribe's indifference to democratic values and institutions. Micheletti is a global pariah who has raised fears that the post-Cold War solidification of Latin American democracies may end. Meeting with him was quite a dangerous thing for Uribe to do in the current international political climate. The President's support in the US and Europe is increasingly fragile, in part because of his autocratic tendencies. Politically, reaching out to Micheletti was just about the most illogical thing he could have done in response to the crisis in Honduras.
There was absolutely no need – political, ethical or otherwise – for the Colombian government to speak privately to the Micheletti regime. It could be argued that the current tensions with neighboring Colombia and Venezuela have made Colombia desperate for political allies. Nevertheless, there is little to be gained from an alliance with the poor, weak and totally isolated Honduran government. Honduras is not the type of friend Colombia should be making.
Strategically, the Uribe government is playing with fire on the international stage. The President should cut off all public and private ties to the Micheletti government and confirm to the international community that he is indeed respectful of democracy.
Ethically, Uribe has made a huge mistake. Micheletti does not deserve international supporters. Coups should remain a thing of the past, and no golpista regime should have the privilege of explicit or implicit official recognition by another government.
Perhaps most importantly, Uribe has risked making a political solution to the Honduras crisis even more unlikely. The meeting was a step toward turning the Central American problem a regional ideological battle between the Chavista coalition and right-leaning governments like Uribe’s and that is the last thing Honduras and Latin America need.
azunoman
said:
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... It was not a coup. Manuel Zelaya broke or at least badly stretched the Honduran constitution. The Honduran constitutional court ordered the Military to remove Zelaya... When did Secretary of State Clinton ever said this was a coup? |
NotAlvaroUribe
said:
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... Another victim of the Micheletti/US lobby propaganda campaign. It is a Coup. All countries call it a coup, even the UN calls it a coup. US is the only country who won't call it a coup because that means they will have to stop funding, supporting, and trading with Honduras according to their policies. The referendum was deemed illegal, so Zelaya put forth a new referendum to be voted and was backed by many people of Honduras. That is when the military, lead by Romeo Vasquez who's trained by US's S.O.A., kidnapped Democratically elected President Zelaya while he was still in his Pajamas. What has happened now with this new military coup regime is over 1000 people are now imprisoned, mass protests, extreme censorship, expulsion of journalists, torture and killings, obstruction of aid for protesters (protesters blocked in areas with no food), Curfews, and major repressions of the Honduran people. This is a Coup d'etat. |
Rob
said:
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... Zelaya was still the legitimate and elected leader of Honduras. If he did act unconstitionally- if should be up to the people (not the military and a few people on the supreme court) to decide in a fair election to recall Zelaya. The U.S. in not properly labeling this a coup- allows the U.S. to support the illegitimate militiary regime. |
